Unveiling Romance: A Romantic Soirée with Baroque Ensemble, Shakespearean Quintet, and the Dance of Grace
February 3, 2024 • 7:00 PM
at
William D. Davies Memorial Building
Farnsworth Park
568 E. Mount Curve Ave., Altadena, CA 91001
Sponsored by
Experience the magic of ‘Unveiling Romance,’ an event where the timeless melodies of a Baroque ensemble, complemented by historical instruments, create an unforgettable ambiance. The Shakespearean quintet brings sonnets to life with a poetic layer, while ballet adds a graceful touch. Join us for an immersive experience where passion, history, and grace converge in a celebration of love.”
This event showcases young talent while adding an educational touch. A post-concert Q&A session will be included and will offer exclusive insights into rare and historic instruments. So, come and join us!
THIS EVENT WAS FREE TO ALL.
This concert is dedicated in special remembrance of the late Pat Rosengren, Founder of Huntington Marketing & Association Management. We extend our enduring gratitude to her for the remarkable vision and unwavering belief she bestowed upon Melodia Mariposa. The invaluable wisdom and guidance she provided have been instrumental in shaping the course of our journey.
–In memory of Pat Rosengren (January 31, 1948 ~ September 2, 2023)
PROGRAM
Alessandro Stradella: Sonata a Violino solo, Cello e Basso
Joel Pargman, Morgan Little, Jason Yoshida
William Shakespeare: Sonnet 130
Miguel Perez, Jason Yoshida
John Dowland: “Flow My Tears”
Hannah Little, Joel Pargman, Morgan Little, Jason Yoshida
William Shakespeare: Sonnet 113
Christy Gonzalez & Jason Yoshida
Henry Purcell: “Bess of Bedlam”
Hannah Little, Morgan Little, Jason Yoshida
Anon: “Scotch Airs”
Joel Pargman, Morgan Little
William Shakespeare: Sonnet 89
Rebekah Side
Joseph Bodin de Boismortier: Trio Sonata No. 6, Largo
Joel Pargman, Morgan Little, Jason Yoshida, Damara Titmus & Eduard Sargsyan (ballet duo)
John Dowland: “Come Again, Sweet Love”
Hannah Little, Joel Pargman, Morgan Little, Jason Yoshida
William Shakespeare: Sonnet 86
Casey Alcoser
Anthony Holborne: “The Honie-Suckle”
Joel Pargman, Morgan Little, Jason Yoshida
William Shakespeare: Sonnet 43
Ahash Francis
David Mell and Signior Balshar: Divisions on “John come kiss me now”
Joel Pargman, Morgan Little
PERFORMERS:
Hannah Little, mezzo-soprano
Joel Pargman, baroque violin
Morgan Little, baroque cello
Jason Yoshida, lute and baroque guitar
Damara Titmus, dancer
Eduard Sargsyan, dancer
Miguel Perez, actor
Christy Gonzalez, actor
Rebekah Side, actor
Casey Alcoser, actor
Ahash Francis, actor
FEATURED ARTISTS
Joel Pargman, violin
Violinist Joel Pargman has been a frequent performer on Southern California concert stages for the past twenty years as a member of
the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra, New West Symphony, Pasadena Symphony, and the Fiato Quartet, and as Associate Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Master Chorale Orchestra. His performing career has also taken him on concert tours of the U.S., Europe, Japan, and South America.
Joel has performed as a featured soloist with Musica Angelica, the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra, the Musicians Emeritus Symphony Orchestra, the Tacoma Youth Symphony, and the Bremerton Symphony.
For three summers, Joel was a fellow of the Tanglewood Music Center, most recently as a member of its resident new music quartet, the New Fromm Players. He has also spent summers at the Aspen Music Festival, the Encore School for Strings, the Indiana University String Academy, and the Académie Musicale de Villecroze.
Born in San Bernardino and having spent his youth in the Pacific Northwest, he now resides in Altadena, California.
Morgan Little, cellist
Morgan Little, a cellist and historical performance enthusiast from Los Angeles, developed a passion for historical performance during studies at DePaul University in Chicago.
After graduating from The Juilliard School graduate on a full-tuition scholarship, Morgan has performed internationally at Festival Dans les Jardins de William Christie, on tour with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra in the U.K. and Amsterdam, and has been invited to perform with Oregon Bach Festival, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and other local historical performance ensembles.
Morgan was most recently found performing under the baton of Richard Egarr with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and will be joining them for their 2023-2024 season to play the Brandenburg concertos, Mendelssohn and Beethoven, and other works in NYC, San Francisco, and Berkeley.
Hannah Little, mezzo-soprano
Hannah Little’s performance career reflects her wide array of musical interests. As a recent transplant to LA, she is thrilled to be participating in her debut season with the Los Angeles Master Chorale. She finds another musical home in the thriving Chicago choral scene, performing regularly with the Chicago Symphony Chorus at Chicago Symphony Center and Ravina and the prestigious Grant Park Festival Chorus under the direction of Christopher Bell for the past decade.
Hannah made her solo debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall in December of 2023, performing the alto solos in Handel’s Messiah with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and orchestra. She enjoys solo work for large and more intimate audiences and has sung as the featured soloist with the Landowska Harpsichord Society, both as part of their annual jazz showcase and in their historical performance program Baroque Menagerie.
In a performance of Ernest Bloch’s Sacred Services with Lansing Symphony Orchestra, Hannah’s voice was said to be, “The missing human touch” that made a “disproportionately deep impression…her voice streamed to the outer reaches of the hall like sweet cream butter” – Lawrence Cosentino, Lansing City Pulse.
Jason Yoshida, D.M.A., lute and guitar
Praised as “eloquent and serious,” in a Los Angeles Times review, Jason Yoshida specializes in solo and continuo performance on lutes and historical guitars. He has performed with groups including Ciaramella, Musica Angelica, Les Surprises Baroques, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and Los Angeles Opera.
Yoshida received a Bachelor of Music from UC Santa Barbara, a Master of Music in classical guitar, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Early Music from the USC Thornton School of Music.
He is currently on the faculty of the Early Music Department at USC Thornton School of Music.
The Shakespeare Quintet
The Shakespeare Quintet was formed in 2023 by a group of actors devoted to the preservation of the classics, especially Shakespeare. In the Group are Ahash Francis, a graduate of UC Davis and The Art of Acting Studi; Rebekah Side who recently directed “So You’re Cooking” for the Leo Rising Theatre; Christy Gonzalez who is a resident member of the esteemed Tierra Blanca Arts Center, and Casey Alcoser who recently scored a big success at the Hollywood Fringe Festival with his one-person show entitled Coffee, Tea and Gin. The quintet is led by Miguel Perez, who is an actor with 40 years of experience with appearances in films including Blow, Oceans 11, and AI: Artificial Intelligence, on Television in Fear the Walking Dead, The Rookie, Madame Secretary, and many others.
Ballet Dancers
Damara Titmus, Professional Dancer
Damara is a Los Angeles native who began her studies at Rozann-Zimmerman Ballet Center under the direction of Patrick Frantz, former Premier Danseur of the Paris Opera Ballet, and later graduated from Idyllwild Arts Academy
under the direction of Jean-Marie Martz.
She spent her summers training in programs at Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre. Damara started her professional career with Media City Ballet in Burbank, California as a soloist dancer. She then took her career to Denver, Colorado to dance with the Colorado Ballet and Ballet Ariel. After returning to Los Angeles to be closer to her family, she returned to Burbank to dance with Pacific Ballet Dance Theatre, dancing soloist and principal roles, as well as enjoying freelance opportunities with Pasadena Dance Theatre and Contempo Arts Productions. She has also been contracted as a principal guest artist for Birmingham Ballet and Evansville Ballet Theatre.
While continuing to pursue her dance career, she completed her studies for her Bachelor of Arts in Performing Arts through Saint Mary’s College of California and graduated Summa Cum Laude in May of 2019.
Some of her notable roles to date have been the title heroine in Romeo and Juliet, Clara and the Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Ivy Smith in On the Town, Micaëla in Natasha Middleton’s Carmen, Odette and Odile in Swan Lake, Louise in Carousel, and most recently, Phrygia in the iconic adagio from Spartacus.
Eduard Sargsyan, Professional Dancer
Eduard Sargsyan was born November 7th, 1988 in Yerevan, Armenia, and began his journey as a dancer at just 7 years old. He graduated from Yerevan State Choreographic College, after which he served in the Armenian special military dance ensemble “Sardarabad” as a solo performer for 2 years. He then began his career as a principal ballet dancer with the Armenian National
Opera and Ballet Theatre where he performed for 10 years and Israel Ballet Company where he performed for 3 years.
In 2014 Eduard fulfilled his lifelong dream of moving to the United States and ballroom American Rhythm and Smooth dance styles for 3 years, and became also certified instructor. Since 2017 till now he’s participated in and won several dance competitions in the Professional Ballroom Theatre Arts and Cabaret divisions. As a certified ballet contemporary ballroom and character dance teacher/performer, he became the CEO of LA Imperial Dance Studios in 2017. He has always collaborated with different dance companies around of USA as a ballet artist and choreographer, one of those being Pacific Ballet Dance Theatre since 2015, where he is currently working as a company principal dancer and company class teacher. He is also currently working as a ballroom dance instructor and choreographer at The Monarch Ballroom, as well as performing as a freelance artist with international dance companies such as Shushi Dance Ensemble NY, Ani Hamazgain Ensemble LA, and West Coast Ballet Company LA.
Eduard has had an abundant career producing many dance events and participating in over 100 different productions. He has been afforded the opportunity to work with and study under many legendary ballet masters and choreographers such as Maya Plisetskaya, Vladimir Vasilev, Yury Grigirovich, Vilen Galstyan, Ido Tadmor, Berta Yampolski, Itzik Galili, Dwight Roden, Andrei Tremaine, Michael Chapman, and Bruno Colins, Sharon Savoy, Natasha Middleton. One of the highlights of his career has been receiving the Excellence in Dance Arts Award from the City of Torrance and LA County in 2021. He is grateful to have found his passion in life and looks forward to teaching and inspiring the next generation.